Colors
by Kushinada Uzumaki
Summary: Summary: AU: Fem!Harry. Her first life had ended in a blaze of fire and glory, her second life was welcomed in a time of fire and war. Uzumaki Yuriko would make the most of her second chance, and live the life she hadn't lived to enjoy as Hera Potter. Even if she has to throw the tapestry of Fate out the window to save what's left of her family.
1. White

**White ~ Associated with light, goodness, innocence, and purity. White means safety, purity, and cleanliness. As opposed to black, white usually has a positive connotation. White can represent a successful beginning.**

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 **Colors.**

 **Chapter 1: White.**

"Nee-chan! Nee-chan!" Yuriko's head snapped up at the young boy who burst out of the Academy doors.

She smiled at the bright blue of his eyes that only shined so happily when around her, and his other few precious people. His spiky blond hair caught the sunlight and looked even more like a glowing sun. it didn't help with the amount of orange he chose to ware. His tanned cheeks stretched with his wide fox-like grin. His three whisker-like marks only made it more apparent.

She was Uzumaki Yuriko, daughter of the Yondaime Hokage and his wife, Uzumaki Kushina. The blond boy running to embrace her happily, was her younger brother, Uzumaki Naruto. She had been born five years before Naruto, just after her parents married. Having been five when the Kyūbi attacked she was known by the village as the child of their Hokage and his wife.

It was also known Naruto was her brother, but many fools believed she had simply taken the boy in to better control the bijū. How they could mistake Naruto for anyone but her parents child was beyond her. He was a little mirror image of their father, but with their mother's facial and eye shape.

She had taken after her mother with dark red hair, and green eyes inherited from her maternal grandmother. Her heart-shaped face, high cheekbones, and narrower almond shaped eyes were more reminiscent of her father. She was just lucky she'd bypassed the spiky genetics Naruto inherited.

Once upon a time though, she'd been known by a different name, and she supposed she had Death to thank for this second chance in a new dimension. The one thing dimensions had in common was Death, it was universal. There may be different legends or names for him, but he was the same wherever you went. Back then she'd not understood this completely.

Back then she'd been known as Hera Lily Potter. While she kept her memories of that lifetime, the short eighteen years of memories she had (she'd died at seventeen just a month shy of her eighteenth birthday), her magic had converted to chakra. She had kept a few traits from her magic, and that was connected to her animagus form.

She'd been a phoenix, a rare form reserved for the most powerful of witches and wizards. Merlin had been a dragon animagus for example, and it was said Morgana le Fay was a phoenix animagus. Her tears still had the ability to heal anything short of death, or at least she'd not come across something it couldn't heal effectively. It was considered a kekkei genkai manifested through her special Uzumaki chakra.

She'd left Hera Potter in the past though, despite looking relatively the same as her incarnation. Her hair was tamer and straighter, her eyes a little narrower, but otherwise she looked the same. Death had chosen her new parents well.

She still missed them even though they'd been dead going on eight years now. Unlike Naruto she was lucky to have those five years with their parents. She told him what she could of their parents when he asked, but it wouldn't make up for his lack of real memories.

She smiled happily when Naruto collided with her waist. At thirteen years old she was quite a bit taller than the smaller boy at five foot one. Thankfully, She was still growing – with a budding bust, curves, and the loss of the last bits of her adolescent baby fat, which wasn't as prominent in her as it was in civilians thanks to her rigorous training.

"Hello, Naruto," she said, returning his hug. "Did you have a good day?"

Naruto pulled away and smiled, but she could tell it wasn't a honest smile. She'd raised him since he was born, the orphanage they'd stayed at for a few months wasn't any help. By the time Naruto was six months old she'd had enough of the lack luster care he was getting.

Oh, they tried to go out of their way for her, but they pretended her baby brother didn't exist besides keeping him alive. It was amazing how little the human body could survive on, though she'd intervened where she could. She'd reported the matron and aids for their oh so _'helpful'_ care at the first chance.

After the Kyūbi attack there was a lot of rebuilding. The Hokage hadn't been able to see them for months. When he did she demanded they be given their parents old home, and that even if he had one of his ANBU assigned to them she would raise Naruto herself.

He hadn't wanted to allow it, she'd be gone half the day learning to be a ninja after all. She wasn't even six at the time. Considered a prodigy or not, Yuriko was still just a child at the time.

She'd upped her training, left shadow clones at home just to prove to the Hokage she could also look after Naruto while becoming a Kunoichi. In truth she would have left the clones anyway since she didn't trust many anymore.

Out of ANBU she could say she trusted three, Cat, Dog, and recently there was another with what appeared to be a feline mask, She didn't know his name, but he had soothing yet strange chakra. Within two years of the Kyūbi attack she'd graduated at the age of seven along with Itachi. The prodigal duo they were called.

She then delved into genjutsu (out of a lost bet at first), shattering preconceptions that Uzumaki's were weak to the art, and that those with over flowing reserves couldn't practice it. It helped that she had chakra control that rivaled Senju Tsunade, and only got better as she got older. That didn't mean she was any good at lower ranked genjutsu, they only worked a small percent of the time.

She figured she had Death and traits left over from her lost magic to thank for her precise chakra control. She decided as a genin she wanted to model herself somewhat after Tsunade, but she refused to be labelled as a medic-nin.

She knew the rule book for them back and forward, so she'd dipped into a scroll her mother had received from Uzumaki Mito. The original barer of the Strength of a Hundred Seal, which was actually created by Mito's own mother and taught to those Uzumaki who proved themselves.

It was something of a birthright anyway. With the death of her mother, she was the clan heiress, being the last of the main family and granddaughter of the last clan head, Uzumaki Kenshin. Uzumaki Mito was her great-great aunt as was known by few, but Mito had been a private woman from what her mother told her. Though Yuri had been young at the time her memory was nearly perfect.

She was still studying the scroll, but was making great progress with it. With that she wouldn't have to worry about avoiding battle, and while her ninjutsu wasn't terrible it also wasn't her strongest skill. No, her talent laid with weapons, taijutsu, medical ninjutsu, the Uzumaki chakra chains, and she was slowly growing her knowledge on fūinjutsu.

She was also no slouch in genjutsu, but she would never be good enough (even with her near perfect control) to really call herself a mistress of the art. She wanted to master fūinjutsu above the other arts, and she'd always been interested in healing even in her first life.

She fed her growing elemental affinities with the help of Itachi and Shisui. Both were better at ninjutsu then her, better at genjutsu which was expected being Uchiha, and had no problems helping their best friend in the areas she lacked.

Yuriko knew she lacked in certain areas of the ninja arts, but she still studied as many as she could not wanting to be anything but well rounded. She no longer had magic to bail her out of a sticky situation, and with her luck there would be plenty.

Years later she became a chūnin, and then followed Itachi into ANBU because even they knew they worked best together. Konoha was about teamwork, and they didn't dare break apart a duo who worked so well together, as if they'd fought beside each other from the day they were born. Maybe because they were born only a month apart, and had grown up with each other since Uchiha Mikoto was her mother's best friend and her godmother.

Unfortunately, this all meant she had less and less time with Naruto. He seemed to understand she had her duty to the village and Hokage. That she only did what she did to keep him safe and under a sound roof with everything he could need to grow strong.

He was smarter than most gave him credit for, in fact she saw a little of her father in him every time he was in a serious mood, it just so happened their mother's personality was dominant in her little brother. She wouldn't have had it any other way.

"It was fine," he finally said. "We had a test today on the founding of the village. It was just a lot of questions, mostly about the Senju and Uchiha clans."

She took his hand and they began to walk back to their modest home. She ignored the looks given to them by civilians, which ranged from anger, to solemn regret, and a struggle to accept the truth of who Naruto was. Eventually they'd have no choice, everyday he looked more and more like Namikaze Minato, just less flaky.

To hear her mother tell it she had gotten her fathers flakiness, but with her it actually worked. Her mother had been funny like that, before their sacrifice. And hadn't that hit her hard; she remembered how her first incarnations parents had died for her. Very similarly to how her parents had died for her and Naruto in this life.

"Oh, and who were the founders of Konoha, little brother?" she asked, curious of his answer. A frown overtook his face, which turned serious as he thought. He didn't want to disappoint his sister.

Finally Naruto grinned. "Senju Hashirama the Shodaime Hokage, and his brother, Senju Tobirama the Nidaime Hokage –"

"And?" she pressed, but Naruto frowned.

'I..I don't know Nee-chan," he replied and she chuckled.

"Well, you got two of them right. Senju Hashirama and Tobirama were two of Konoha's greatest shinobi and founders, but Uchiha Madara was also the villages founder, which is why your test had so much information pertaining to the Uchiha clan. I'm not surprised if he was mentioned little, other than his actions at the Valley of The End." Yuriko sighed and shook her head. "Madara and Hashirama were the ones who first thought of the village, and if it's to be believed, it was Madara who named our village."

"Really, Yuri-nee?" he asked and she nodded.

"I don't think Itachi's an unreliable source, nor are the records Mito-sama kept before her death," Yuriko told him.

It had been a long time since she'd been in the Senju compound, but she remembered what she'd read. The place was pretty much a ghost town these days though. Tsunade was the last Senju, at least by name.

There may be some distant Senju relatives spread through the village, but they no longer carried the name and had no claim to it either. The last time Tsunade had been in the village Yuri was turning four.

"That's cool!" he exclaimed, and then proceeded to drag her to Ichiraku's Ramen.

She smiled and laughed as he tried to drag her behind him, even though she moved willingly after him. Her white and red yukata seemed to gleam in the summer sun.

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 **AN: So, this has been sitting on my computer for a few weeks now. It's the beginning of a series of one-shots, I guess they're more like drabbles though. I don't know how often I will update this since I have other stories that need more attention right now. Currently I have a few chapters for it done, and given they're pretty much drabbles they'll be on the shorter side compared to my usual story chapters. Anyway, more information will be found on my website, which is linked on my profile. I hope you all enjoy this.**


	2. Red

**Red ~ The color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love.**

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 **Colors.**

 **Chapter 2: Red.**

He was covered in it. Drying red blood, splattered against the dark colors of his ANBU uniform and Yuriko knew instantly what had happened. The Uchiha had been acting up for a while now and she had the feeling it wasn't going to end well.

Not for the Uchiha, and definitely not for Itachi and Sasuke. Sasuke was Itachi younger brother, the same age as Naruto. She'd known Sasuke since he was just a baby, and he was in her brother's class. Naruto was commonly complaining about Sasuke in one way or another.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" she asked after he'd turned up at her home.

Naruto was already in his room, napping after training himself into exhaustion. So it was just them. She clinched her fist, her fingers digging into her knee length skirt, which was a navy blue that stood out against the pale leaf green of her thigh length kimono-top and black obi. The sleeves were long, touching the tips of her fingers.

"Hn. Everyone is dead... everyone," he muttered, his eyes staring straight into hers hauntingly. There was no need to say Sasuke was the exception, Yuriko already knew he'd never kill his little brother.

She could see where he'd cried. The wet stains stood out against his pale skin. Lifting her hand she placed it against his cheek and ran her thumb over the deep tear troughs of his face. She smiled sadly and pulled him into a hug, not caring that he was getting her clothes bloody with what blood hadn't dried.

"Sasuke is still alive though. The Uchiha aren't entirely gone, Itachi-kun," she whispered to him.

"I should be gone by now, the ANBU are probably chasing a clone across the boarders right now." Itachi sighed and Yuriko pulled away. "I couldn't leave without saying goodbye."

She frowned deeply, her eyes narrowing in determination. "You're not leaving without me."

Itachi's head snapped up, a look of utter disbelief on his face. She couldn't actually mean what she was getting at. She couldn't come with him! She'd be considered a missing-nin, and she had Naruto to take care of. Yuriko smiled, as if reading his mind.

"Don't worry about Naruto, I'll leave a blood clone in the village. I can disguise myself while outside it, no one will realize I ever left."

"The Hokage will notice eventually. It won't be as powerful as you, despite being a blood clone. What happens if your clone dies?" Itachi asks and she shakes her head.

"I'll talk to the Hokage, but my mind is made up. One way or another I'm going with you. Besides, you still have a few doses of Phoenix tears to take before your illness is cured. I'm not going to let my best friend kill himself!" she said as loudly and forcefully as she dare without waking Naruto up. Itachi sighed.

Mentally and physically he was exhausted, and all he could see was red. His clothes were stained in it and after she'd hugged him her clothes had been stained in red as well – the only shade of red he remotely enjoyed looking at right now was the dark red of her long hair. Similar to the red of his clans symbol.

"If the Hokage agrees, then you can come with me Yuri." She grinned happily. Her green eyes were sparkling and all he saw was her.

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Convincing the Sandaime wasn't an easy task. It had at one point come down to her down right threatening to leave with Itachi, his permission be damned (which was downright bordering on treason), and taking Naruto with them. She wanted to take Sasuke as well, but with the damage done he'd never come with her and Itachi even if they tried.

The only reason she got her way was her ability to control her emotions (for example, her temper, which she'd inherited from her mother), and the fact she specialized in stealth and infiltration.

Because of this she was trained to be an assassination type kunoichi. And she wasn't above using seduction to get what she needed on a mission. Even those who didn't specialize in seduction knew how to use it when the mission called for it.

Itachi would be joining the Akatsuki, an organization who were after the bijū. One of which was sealed inside her little brother, which meant having someone like her inside the Akatsuki would be beneficial. It helped that she was as hard headed as her mother and father, two people Hiruzen was close to before their death.

Minato had been his successor, and in someways he saw Yuriko and Naruto as his responsibilities. He also knew that if the village were to find out their Yondaime's daughter had turned traitor to follow Uchiha Itachi, a kin-slayer, from the village – than it would cause unforeseeable backlash for the village.

More so to young Naruto who loved his sister so much, and looked up to her as a shinobi. She had been both his mother and sister growing up, having raised him practically by herself. She was the sun Naruto's world orbited around, and if she left him behind Hiruzen didn't want to know how he'd react. The villagers certainly wouldn't make it easier for him.

In the end he agreed. But only on the condition she left the sturdiest blood clone she could create, and that she returned in no more than ten years – a generous offer since he hadn't wanted to allow her request. She would go under her ANBU guise, which no one, not even the other ANBU, knew to be her.

Her mask had a special seal which helped her cast a powerful genjutsu over her body, making her hair turn midnight black and her eyes turn dark red. She had chosen this appearance for her own reasons, but as far as Hiruzen knew it was random.

It wasn't random for Yuri though; it was the same shade of black hair as her first father and incarnation's hair. While the red eyes were the same color (but a darker shade) as her first enemy, someone she hated as much as she grudgingly respected; Tom Riddle (known by most as Lord Voldemort).

By the time the sun rose, Uchiha Itachi and ANBU Operative Kojika would be known missing-nin charged with the massacre of the Uchiha clan. It was rather heart-wrenching for Hiruzen to watch as the two prodigies of Konoha fled in the night under the blood red moon. Their little brothers being none the wiser to their sacrifices (even if one was a little more selfish than the other).

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 **AN: So, another chapter. I've actually had this one done for as long as the first chapter, just wanted to go over it before I posted it. I was happy with the turn out of the first chapter, I'm glad everyone is enjoying this.**

 **I've decided to take this in a direction that some may question, and hopefully I've explained Yuriko's motivation well enough. Some have mentioned a pairing, and for those who haven't checked my website for the information, this is an Itachi/Yuri pairing. As a drabble series the timeline will jump around a bit, so next chapter will be just before canon begins.**

 **For those wondering about my other stories. I am working on it, but I am much busier than usual, especially this month, so it's kinda been slow going. I've almost finished typing up the next chapter of _The Roaring of The Sea_ , so hopefully I can update that soon. **

**One last thing for those interested; Yuri's name - Yuriko means _'lily child'_ , I think it's obvious why I chose the name. Her ANBU operative name, Kojika, means _'small deer'_. **


	3. Yellow

**AN: So, there were plenty who were questioning Yuri's decision and motivations on leaving with Itachi.**

 **One of the reasons I waited so long to upload this drabble-story was because even I wasn't sure I liked where my own plot was going. In the end I decided to go ahead with it, realizing it worked with Yuri's personality and showing the differences between her time as Hera and her new life as Yuri.**

 **So, let me explain a little better. Yuriko is being selfish in her actions and even she knew that. But once she learned of Akatsuki, Itachi's mission to join them after he left and what the organization was after, she realized she had an opportunity to protect Naruto from the inside.**

 **Her mission, given to her by the Sandaime after he realized Yuri's idea had merit, was to join Itachi in Akatsuki and gather information to send back through her summons (yes, she has a summons which has been hinted at). In other words she is one of Jiraiya's contacts while she's in Akatsuki.**

 **I wrote the story the way I did to show that Yuri, despite years of knowledge from her first life, is not perfect. She is considered a prodigy, but she isn't a true genius since she had memories of her first life to help her along.**

 **She is still reckless, and while her life as Hera was very self-sacrificing, more so than even her life as Yuri is – having had to give up her childhood, what little there was as a ninja-in-training, to raise Naruto mostly by herself. Whereas Hera she died** ** **martyring** herself to bring down Voldemort. Sacrificing not only most of her childhood for a war children really shouldn't have had to deal with, but also the future she might have had if she'd lived.  
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 **Her new life is much different, and as self-sacrificing as she is she is also capable of being selfish. Itachi has been with her practically since they were born, their mother's having been best friends and pregnant at the same time. While Naruto means the world to her, she wasn't willing to sacrifice her feelings for Itachi, knowing her best friends illness would end up killing him, if his idiotic plans didn't first.**

 **In the end, as much as Itachi means to Yuri, if she didn't know how to create a Blood Clone than she'd have never left Konoha. Naruto doesn't realize what his sister has done, because he's not alone. As you'll learn there is literally no difference between Yuri and her blood clone, expect in power and maybe in thought process since the clones main purpose is to care for, help train, and protect Naruto before anything else. Her blood clone isn't quite as powerful as Yuriko either, being just a clone.**

 **Anyways, that's as simple as I can make her motivations. I understand the way I've decided to go with the plot will repel some people, that's fine. I myself wasn't fond of the plot direction in the beginning, but at least this way Itachi and Naruto can have happier endings and beginnings.**

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 **Yellow ~ The color of the mind and the intellect. It is optimistic and cheerful. However it can also suggest impatience, criticism and cowardice.**

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 **Colors.**

 **Chapter 3: Yellow.**

 _Coward, betrayer, selfish..._ a slender redhead rubbed her eyes with the palm of her hands as she sat on the edge of the Hokage monument. To anyone else this girl was Uzumaki Yuriko, daughter of the late Yondaime and his wife, but in truth the only thing she was, was an impersonator.

Nothing more than a poor copy with little free will other than what she'd been designed with. She was a clone, a blood clone, with the purpose of raising her little brother – no, she wasn't even sure if she could call that ball of sunshine her brother. It was the real Yuri's brother.

 _Yuriko_ sighed again. The first year was normal, she went about her day as she would if she was the original. She was no longer a ANBU agent though, seeing as the real Kojika was out there with Itachi. She couldn't help but feel resentful of her real self. Out there, free to do what she pleased (though _Yuriko_ would never dream of leaving without Naruto). At the same time it was for this she grew to be angry at Yuri, maybe even hate her. The girl had a little brother who nearly worshipped her and at eight years old she had abandoned him... for a _boy_.

She was selfish! But she was also Yuri, made from her blood with the same personality and appearance. So, she understood why she'd done what she'd done. Yuri wanted to save Itachi, a boy she was beginning to feel more than friendship for. She wanted to help protect her brother by infiltrating an organization now known to have an end goal of extracting all nine bijū, one of which was inside her brother.

So was she really so selfish after all? Once _Yuriko's_ use was over she'd be dispelled, which was a bit messier with blood clones, and all that would be left was the original and the memories she'd gain. In a way it would be like she'd never left. It was a plan which was almost fool proof, but _Yuriko_ couldn't help but worry.

Weren't the best laid plans the ones that you had to worry about the most?

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She sat with her legs dangling over the edge of a large building in Amegakure. She'd recently returned from a mission with her partner, Zetsu. The half-plant being didn't talk much and she didn't initiate conversation. She didn't like the feel of Zetsu's chakra, it was... confusing, but dark enough she tried to keep her distance. That proved to be a little harder after the leader had partnered them together.

He didn't trust her and Itachi to be partners, which wasn't surprising. For a while Orochimaru had been apart of the Akatsuki, which had made her more concerned about the threat Akatsuki posed. Not long after they joined though the snake sannin attacked Itachi, and ran after Itachi showed him exactly why he was known as the Uchiha's greatest prodigy since the clan wars.

Her place inside the organization was tentative at best in the beginning, but after nearly four years that had changed. The leader had begun to trust her and Itachi, and they had made their mark inside the organization. That made her mission easier.

Yuri had gotten used to wearing her ANBU mask nearly all the time, and it was only when she and Itachi were sure they were alone and outside Amegakure that Itachi ever called her by her real name. When Yuriko was alone she finally got to take off her mask, revealing her true dark ruby hair and green eyes. This was not one of those times. To anyone who noticed her she looked like a seventeen to eighteen year old girl with long black hair and red eyes.

"You're rather thoughtful tonight, Kojika," Itachi's familiar voice spoke up behind her. She grinned behind her mask and turned her head slightly to the side.

"I'm just thinking about... life."

True enough, she had originally come up here knowing Naruto's birthday was passing soon. Some days she regretted her decisions, and then she remembered why she had chosen this course of action. She was here to help her best friend, and protect her brother from the threat Akatsuki proved to be the longer she stayed with the organization.

Itachi grunted and took a seat beside her. The view wasn't as good as the Hokage Mountain, but it was still a view. It would have been better if not for the rain that pounded down around them. The only reason she wasn't getting wet was the chakra she'd spread around herself like a shield, something which mirrored a spell she knew from her first life. Given Itachi wasn't wet he must have been using the same technique to keep the rain away from him.

"I'm sorry," Itachi muttered, knowing exactly where her thoughts must be.

He thought of his life before the Massacre quite often, and how his little brother must be fairing now. But as the days came and went he slowly began thinking less and less about it. He'd made his choice, and he was content to let himself die when Sasuke was strong enough, but he knew it would be a struggle.

He was no longer sick, he hadn't been for a while now. Yuriko had made sure of that with her unique healing ability, and he knew she wouldn't allow him to become a martyr. He wondered how this would change his decided fate. But as time passed and he accepted his feelings for Yuri, Itachi was unsure he truly wanted to die. If it was even a choice now that his illness wasn't killing him.

"Why?" she asked. "You have nothing to be sorry for." That wasn't entirely true, she supposed. She knew how the massacre had truly effected Itachi, and though he no longer dwelled on it as much she knew he wished it hadn't come to that.

"It's almost October 10th." Itachi looked at her with hidden regret. Hidden, at least, to someone who hadn't known him their whole life like Yuriko did.

She grimaced slightly and looked down at the ground far below them. Reaching into her mesh armor shirt she pulled out a delicate silver chain, a silver locket hung from it, the Uzumaki Spiral carved into the front. A set of rings hung on either side of the locket, one more petite and made for a woman, the other a males ring. They were her parents wedding rings.

She remembered that her mother and father usually only wore them on their anniversary, or on occasion when they were home. When they went out or were training, her father had his in a small lockable trinket box in their room, while her mother preferred to wear hers around her neck on a chain. When they died she'd held onto the rings to remember them by. And to some day pass down to Naruto, should he ever wish to marry someone.

Smiling sadly at the locket and rings, she tucked them back insider her shirt, and looked over at her best friend and secret love interest. In a split second Yuriko made a reckless choice, but one she'd been thinking about for a long time.

Leaning over she lifted the bottom of her mask, praying her genjutsu-seal wasn't disrupted by the action. Itachi's eyes widened, and as blurry as his vision had become after use of his Mangekyō (they'd found out doses of her Phoenix tears did cure it for a time until he over used it again), he noticed instantly the lightening of her hair under the gloomy sky when she lifted her mask.

Thankfully her hair remained black, but with red highlights proving that if she moved it anymore the seal would be disrupted. He opened his mouth to warn her, maybe even chide her for the reckless action inside Amegakure, when her lips collided with his with an unsure gentleness.

His first thought was that her lips were as soft as he'd imagined. His second was to pull her closer, and though it was a little awkward at first, with her mask still partially in the way, the two made their first kiss work. Itachi's arms had snaked around her slim waist and pulled her closer, and her arms wound around his neck, one hand running through his long black ponytail. Neither had much experience kissing, as it deepened it became clear they'd both enjoy practicing.

Maybe things wouldn't be so bad, as long as they had each other to lean on.


	4. Turquoise

**Turquoise ~ Communication and clarity of mind. It can also be impractical and idealistic.**

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 **Colors.**

 **Chapter 4: Turquoise.**

"Naruto?" Yuriko looked in surprise as the orange and blond boy ran past her.

After Naruto reached the age of eleven he had started walking home by himself. He said he was too old for his sister to take him to school or meet him outside the school at the end of the day. She chalked it up to him wanting to be more independent, he was twelve and soon enough he'd be a teenager. Considered an adult when he graduated.

Usually, he greeted her with a hug when he got home if she wasn't on a mission herself. Something was wrong today, he simply brushed past her without so much as a hello. She hadn't expected that. Today was his genin test, she'd expected him to burst into the house yelling in excitement.

Yuriko knew he had what it took to graduate. He may have been considered a dead last because of his lackluster test scores, but she knew her brother was simply more of a kinesthetic learner. He didn't do well with written test.

Shutting the front door, which had been left open, Yuriko walked through the kitchen, dinning room, and into the living room before heading up the stairs to the second floor. Upstairs there were closets, a full bathroom, a master bedroom, and two other bedrooms. Downstairs there was a large basement with a sealed room, which had been her parents' study and where all the books, scrolls, and family heirlooms were kept. She usually kept the basement door locked.

Naruto's room was easily spotted; it was to the right of the landing. Being a bright orange door made it stand out in the otherwise ivory walled hall. A sign with his name in dark blue hung from the door. Yuriko knocked, her fist connecting with the wood three times. But she got no response.

"Naruto? Are you alright in there?" she asked. "Did something happen?"

She hadn't seen her brother this depressed (or at least the real Yuri hadn't) since he was six, when he'd started the Academy two years earlier than the others in his age group. He'd wanted be like his big sister and graduate early. Unfortunately, the last two exams hadn't ended well. She'd not said it aloud, but she'd been relieved. She'd wanted Naruto to enjoy his childhood before he became a slave to duty.

That wasn't what she remembered being his most upset, though. She remembered coming to get him from his first day at school, only to find him on the monument crying because one of his classmates called him a demon who was mocking the Yondaime's family by pretending to be his son. The entire class had laughed and the teacher had just smiled and joined in.

Yuri had consoled him, assuring him he wasn't a demon, and that he was her brother. She had kept him home the next day, and in full shinobi gear showed up to his classroom to give the teacher a piece of her mind. Needless to say, that teacher had never caused Naruto problems again, in fact, she thought it wasn't long before Iruka took over for him. It may have been the real Yuriko's memory, but she remembered it as clear as day.

Pressing her ear to the door she could hear some sniffing, like he'd buried his face in or under a pillow to sob. Frowning she twisted the doorknob only to find it locked. Sighing, she knelt down and unlocked it with one of her hair-pins, which kept half her hair in a low but tight bun.

This was something she remembered from her first life and remained useful. Hearing the click of the lock she gently pushed the door open. Laying on his bed, his face buried in his pillow and shoulders shaking, was her brother. He didn't move but she knew he heard her enter. She'd barely gotten a glimpse of him before, but now she realized he didn't have a headband, which puzzled her.

She knew he had issues with lower level jutsu, that was to be expected given he was not only an Uzumaki but a jinchūriki as well. She'd left instructions with Mizuki for Iruka, explaining that it was near impossible for Naruto to get something as simple as the Bunshin and to excuse him from it. She'd gotten it signed by the Hokage and stamped so he knew it was legit.

Even she'd not graduated by completing the Bunshin no Jutsu. She'd been excused from the Bunshin no Jutsu by substituting it for another; she'd preformed her clan's Kongō Fūsa (Adamantine Sealing Chains) instead. Her mother had the Kage Bunshin in her personal library, despite the fact it really shouldn't be, given the jutsu was part of the Forbidden Scroll.

Yuriko learned the Kage Bunshin when she was snooping through her mother's scrolls when she was three. Her parents nearly had a heart attack, as most three year olds would've been dead trying to make one shadow clone. The only reason she'd not used the Kage Bunshin to graduate was because few knew she could preform it, and it was a good trump card to keep to herself.

She later learned the Blood Clone (an Uzumaki made clone jutsu that took even more chakra than a shadow clone) from her mother's scrolls after her graduation. She planned to teach Naruto the shadow clone once he made genin, and the blood clone once he was chūnin – or at least chūnin-level in her opinion.

Her red hair swayed against her knees as she walked over and sat on the edge of his bed.

"What's going on little brother?" Yuriko asked, placing a hand on his back.

For a few seconds she thought he wasn't going to answer, but then he turned his head in her direction. His cheeks were wet with signs of past tears, and his blue eyes were much duller. He sniffled, his nose scrunching in an adorable manner as he did.

"I failed, again," he said. "Sasuke, that bastard, passed... but I couldn't."

"What, but why? You've gotten the basics down, and I know you know more than a few seals to show off..."

Naruto sat up and shook his head. "I had to do the Bunshin no Jutsu, Iruka said it was mandatory. I tried really hard, nee-chan, but they turned out dead again!"

Yuriko's eyebrows shot up, and she blinked thrice before standing up abruptly. "You mean you weren't excused from the Bunshin no Jutsu?"

Naruto looked his sister in confusion. "No, why would I be?"

Yuriko closed her verdant eyes and counted to ten mentally, trying to remember how she'd been told to control her temper and other unwanted emotions. As a ninja it came easier than it did in her first life, but she was still an emotional person when not on an important mission.

It had been four years since she had anything to do with ANBU though – she imagined Yuri, wherever she was right now, had it a little easier since she had to stay as inconspicuous as possible within Akatsuki.

"Naruto, stay here. I'm going to go talk to the Hokage and Iruka about this, okay," she said.

"But Yuri, can't I go to get ramen and maybe visit the park for a while?" Naruto asked, wiping his eyes.

A little of his hope had been restored; his sister wouldn't have said something like that if she thought he couldn't retake the test or something. At least, he hoped he wasn't reading too much into it. Either way he wanted to get out of the house, all he would accomplish here was self pity.

"I guess. It might be best, since I doubt I'll cook today," Yuriko said, not seeing a reason to keep him home. Naruto smiled, but it wasn't wide or as cheerful as it usually was.

He was clearly still depressed he hadn't graduated with his friends. But he still jumped from his bed and darted out of his room, down the stairs, and out the front door within ten seconds. She sighed, straightening up his bed to occupy her mind.

She couldn't believe Iruka had failed Naruto, even after she'd given in a signed note to excuse him from the clone jutsu. It just didn't sound like Iruka. He didn't hate Naruto like some of the villagers (not anymore at least), and even they kept their hate to themselves; the brave ones sent glares and whispers. They dared not overcharge him since it could easily get back to her, and no one wanted to temper the Red-Hot Blooded Habanero's daughter.

Lifting her locket and rings she though about the real Yuri. She'd been gone four years now, and from what the Hokage shared she kept in contact monthly. Her necklace was a replica of the real Yuri's and came with her creation. When the Uzumaki responsible for the creation of the blood clone jutsu set out to develop a technique that would clone someone exactly, they meant down to the littlest detail. Yuri's use of the jutsu was basically like creating her own twin.

She sent updates to the real Yuri on a somewhat regular basis as well, updating her on Naruto's progress and well-being. It wasn't safe to do so more than that, even by Phoenix summon. Otherwise, there had been no contact between original and clone. And none were the wiser to their deception. Yet, at least.

Shaking her head she let her necklace fall into her kimono-top and head down the stairs, slipped into her boots, and left the house. She, Iruka, and the Hokage were going to have a long chat.

 **.**

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Yuriko gave the confused Academy Chūnin an ear full once he arrived in the Hokage's office. The Hokage himself wasn't happy with what she had to report, having signed the excuse slip himself, but he'd wanted to hear Iruka out at least.

Yuriko's temper had been close to boiling over before, and upon seeing the scarred chūnin her self control had slipped. Her hair split into fiery wings as she began unleashing her pent up anger at the poor man. Once she was done she felt better, but her glare never wavered. Not until Iruka hesitantly spoke up.

He told them he'd never received any note excusing Naruto from the Bunshin no Jutsu. Mizuki had never mentioned it and never given him anything signed by the Hokage. This raised everyone's suspicion of the assistant teacher. The only thing they could do now though was have him watched, and let Naruto take a make-up exam the next morning.

Happy with the turn out, Yuriko stopped by the Haruno Bakery and picked up a small cake, big enough for a family of four to enjoy so there would be more than enough for her and Naruto. It was dark by the time she got home. She opened the front door, stepped out of her shoes and into her house shoes, and slipped into the kitchen with the cake.

It was only nine, so she decided to begin cooking a dinner of spaghetti bolognese – something she remembered from her first life. The ingredients weren't terribly hard to find thankfully. Maybe it was because of the noodles, but it was one of the few things besides ramen she could get Naruto to eat growing up.

As he got older he became less picky, thankfully. Because of her limiting his ramen consumption he'd hit five feet by his twelfth birthday. A good healthy height for his age. She herself had probably hit her peak at five foot five. About twenty minutes later the food was nearly down, and she decided to set the timer on the counter and head upstairs to talk to Naruto.

She assumed he'd returned from the park hours ago. He didn't stay out past seven, and when he did she was usually with him. Even if the villagers kept their hostility to themselves Yuriko had always been rather paranoid of where her brother was at all times, especially after the sunset.

"Naruto, I have good news," she said after knocking. There was no answer, and after knocking again thinking he was napping, she opened the door. Inside the window was open, but no one was inside. Going over to his window she frowned.

"Shit," she cursed, shutting the window harder than she ought-of. Naruto was gone, and she didn't know why or where he'd gone.

Racing into her room at the end of the hall, the master bedroom, she changed into a long sleeved mesh armor shirt, a low cut pale, leaf-green kimono-top that stopped just past her thighs and was slit up both sides until her waist where a black obi kept her top bound. She already had on a pair of tight black shorts and simply slipped out of her shin length dark purple skirt.

By the time she got downstairs the timer was going off. She shut if off before slipping her knee high boots back on. Taking her weapon pouches from a hook in the closet by the front door, and slipping a tantō above her medical bag at the small of her back and a pair of tessen into special holsters on her forearms.

She pulled her headband around her neck, and grabbed her metal plated fingerless gloves that went up to her shoulders, though her long sleeves covered the majority of them and any hidden weapons (like her two bladed folding fans).

She was out the door within five minutes of finding Naruto gone, praying the entire time that he'd simply gone to a friends home. In the pit of her stomach she knew that wasn't the case.

 **.**

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 **Colors Omake:**

Fugaku groaned when he noticed the presence of the small redheaded heiress of the Uzumaki clan. Her green eyes were narrowed as she stared down at Itachi and him. He'd been training his son for hours now, wanting to unleash and help his son's potential prosper before he began the Academy in a year. His son was a prodigy, which had become obvious by the time he was walking at six and a half months.

He was talking in broken sentences a few months later, and his observation skills were amazing even as a small toddler. At four it was amazing to realize one was talking to a four year old, when said four year old sounded so much older. Fugaku could admit to himself, maybe he was too hard on Itachi. He pushed the boy to be the best, to reach his full potential. Itachi was the future of the Uchiha clan, this was all to ready him for his future position as clan head.

He was somewhat remorseful for the fact his son seemed to have lost most of his emotions, unsure how to act like the child he was, but it was for the betterment of their clan. Fugaku had hope that Itachi would one day bring the clan out of the shadows they'd been forced into over the years. There was one obstacle in the way of Itachi's training and duties as clan heir; that redheaded chaos demon – Uzumaki Yuriko.

Noticing Itachi's sudden lack of concentration, causing a kunai to go off center and hit the corner of the target, Fugaku closed his eyes and sighed. He could feel the harsh gaze of the she-devil Namikaze and Uzumaki had spawned – given who the child's mother was he couldn't feign surprise. Uzumaki Kushina had been a lot like her daughter, and still was honestly. It seemed to be multiplied in her daughter though.

Just last week when he'd refused to allow Itachi out to play (no matter how much Mikoto tried to reason with him that it would be good for Itachi) the entire Police Force suffered from laxatives in the coffee and tea (even the donuts weren't sparred, but how she pulled it off he wasn't sure). Very few had avoided the coffee, tea, and donuts that day – he had not been so lucky.

She was even worse when Shisui, another Uchiha with a great deal of potential, joined in her antics. It was a shame she focused so much on childish pranks, since the girl was also considered a prodigy and would start the Academy at the same time as Itachi.

"Yuri..." Itachi muttered. In a flash of red and green a small redhead stood in the training ground facing Itachi.

Though her hair was a dark shade of red, it was still offendingly bright to some. She wore it to her shoulders, a few unruly strands trying to spike up. Her face was rounded with baby fat, and her eyes were almost fox-like and eerily emerald green. She was several centimeters shorter than Itachi.

"Hi-ya, 'Tachi!" Yuriko said, grinning widely with one hand stretched over her head to wave. "Wanna go to the park with me? It'll be fun, we can get sweets and water bomb the ninja, 'ttebane!"

Fugaku's eye twitched as he was ignored by the girl and even his son, who looked like he was seconds from agreeing to join her. Clearing his throat he turned his glare on the girl as she turned around.

"I'm afraid that's impossible, Uzumaki-san," he said, trying to keep his annoyance hidden. "Itachi is training today."

"But he was training yesterday," she said innocently, as if she didn't know what he was on about.

Yuriko smirked inwardly, knowing how much her presence tended to annoy the Uchiha clan head. He obviously hadn't gotten over the last prank she'd pulled on him – and by consequence the entire Uchiha Police Force. She saw how hard Fugaku and the clan elders pushed Itachi, who'd became her best friend the moment they'd met as babies. She hadn't really been aware of much back then, her memories hadn't returned until after her first birthday, and in small segments.

She'd finally caught up to her past lives death when she was two and a half. But that had been eighteen years of life in only a year and a half; she'd been confused for a while. Was she Hera or was she Yuriko? Eventually she realized, yes – she was Hera, but her life as Hera had ended and now she was Yuriko.

The best part was she had parents, and though she was expected by everyone to become a ninja, she also had a childhood. Which she was thoroughly enjoying. Her first life could really only be considered surviving for a long time. It wasn't until Hogwarts and her friends she had some semblance of truly living.

Obviously she saw the pressure put on Itachi, and she recognized it. It was a ghost of her past life, and one that followed her even today. She wasn't going to let her best friend be alone through it. Fugaku could resent her all he wanted. It wouldn't change anything.

"And he's training today as well. You'll have to go now, Itachi can't be distracted," he said, his teeth clinched together tighter than he'd realized. Yuri laughed, rubbing the back of her neck before a smirk flickered across her face.

"Really?" she muttered, trying to sound sad but it just came out with a menacing quality. Her eyes narrowed, and Itachi glanced between his father and best friend. If he didn't know better he'd swear lightning was being shot between the distance of their eyes. His onyx eyes widened when he saw the redhead pulling a small black ball from her back pouch.

He could see the tag wrapped around it and knew it was one of her special bombs, something she called a dung bomb – it smelled so foul it had taken the Inuzuka a month to clear the stench after she released just five in each corner of their compound. This one was smaller than those, which meant it was more powerful.

Itachi opened his mouth to dissuade Yuri, but it was too late. Yuriko had thrown the dung bomb, grabbed a mask that would filter the bombs effects and shoved it at him and pulled hers up from around her neck. It was no different than a normal navy face mask, but the seals stitched into it made them special. Poisons and gases such as this couldn't get past the fabric since the seals filtered the harmful stuff out.

She'd made a few hundred for the boy on her father's team, the son of the once revered White Fang a few months ago. He barely got the mask on before the bomb detonated, leaving his father struck dumb and coughing at the fumes which filled the training ground. Not only did it stink but it acted as a smoke screen.

"Come on!" she cried, grabbing his hand with a smile hidden behind her mask and they disappeared into the trees. Looking back he saw a clone holding what used to be a simple water gun. Yuri had modified it to hold a container on the end, filled with small balls of paint. Air pressure was used to launch the balls through the once harmless water pistol with the use of another seal she'd come up with recently.

From the yells and near growls of his father, he realized the cackling clone had started firing at the man. He grimaced, but turned back to follow after Yuri who was cackling under her breath as well the entire way. He didn't want to be there when his father got his bearing and found the clone. The Police Force would probably face the brunt of Fugaku's anger.

"Was that a good idea?" he asked.

Yuri looked back at him smiling brightly and chuckling. "Why not? In my opinion he was holding you hostage! For the last month all you've been doing in train, train, train. When was the last time we spent the day playing?"

Itachi couldn't say she was wrong. He had been training almost non-stop the last month. His father said it was to prepare him for the Academy, but that was still a while away. He'd trained a lot in the past too, but it seemed his father was cracking down harder on it now, and he'd been allowed less and less time to spend with his few friends. Honestly he only had Shisui and Yuriko to call his friends, and he'd only met Shisui a few weeks ago during one of the pranks Yuri roped him into.

"Besides," Yuri began. They jumped from the trees and walked towards the center of the village. Itachi recognized this rout and got a hopeful feeling in his gut. "You do know what today is, Itachi. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't kidnap you away from your clan _duties_?" She grumbled and added air-quotes to the last word.

A small smile lifted the corner of Itachi's lips, growing a little bigger when they came to a stop outside a well known Dango stand.

"Happy birthday, Itachi!" Yuri said happily, dragging him inside.

For Itachi, the dango tasted especially good when it arrived at their table. He didn't even pay any mind to the odd looks some of the civilians gave him and Yuri, unused to seeing two four year olds acting as they did.

 **.**

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Coughing, Fugaku made his way inside his home, fanning his arms in front of him as if to shoo the smell away. He was covered from head to toe in spots of colored pant, alternating between coughing and cursing.

Mikoto's brow rose in question, and she bit her lip to stop her amusement from being obvious. She couldn't however stop a short chuckle, and the scrunching of her nose when she caught a hint of her husbands smell.

She wasn't sure she'd smelt anything quite so foul.

"Where's Itachi?" she asked, not even bothering to ask him why he was covered in paint.

She had a faint idea what had happened. Fugaku's head snapped around and she kept her face blank despite the urge to laugh. Despite his Sharingan being activated and spinning menacingly, the fact he was dishevelled and covered in paint ruined the intimidating factor. Not to mention, Mikoto had long since stopped being intimidated by her husband.

"Don't ask, Mikoto. We both know what happened, and that little..." Fugaku gritted his teeth, aware he couldn't start calling his wife's goddaughter such colorful names without incurring her wrath. She rose an eyebrow, as if daring him to continue. "That red horror was back! She took Itachi and ran, leaving a clone behind to do this. Just wait until I get a hold of that menace!"

"And what, pray tell, are you going to do?" Mikoto asked, her amusement unable to be held back. "I think you should accept it honey. You've lost this round."

Fugaku practically growled, his Sharingan spinning even more furiously. She had a point, as much as he hated to admit it. With a sigh, he grunted and said, "I'm going to take a shower..."

Or a few dozen, Mikoto thought when her husband stormed past her and the smell became nearly unbearable. The entire way up the stairs she could hear her husbands colorful language as he cursed Minato, Kushina, and their hell spawn. She laughed to herself, she was so proud of her goddaughter.

"Hmm, maybe I should wait a while before telling him I want another baby," Mikoto pondered as she returned to making her son his favorite dinner. Or maybe, she thought with a small smirk, she could just surprise him in a few months.


	5. Teal

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 **Teal ~ A more sophisticated version of turquoise, teal signifies trustworthiness and reliability. It promotes spiritual advancement and commitment.**

 **Colors.**

 **Chapter 5: Teal.**

Yuriko ran as if the hounds of Hades were on her heels. She could sense Naruto's chakra near the edge of the village, close to one of the training grounds. As she jumped through the streets across the rooftops, she saw other ninja doing the same. It only took a few seconds to realize they were looking for her brother as well.

This left her concerned – why were they looking for Naruto? Some of these ninja were ANBU, and they didn't just start running around the village for no reason. Especially not where anyone could notice them.

"Cat!" Yuriko yelled, enhancing her speed with her chakra to catch up to a familiar purple haired ANBU. Said woman looked back, and slowed her pace when she recognized Yuriko.

"Uzumaki-hime," Cat said, "Are you aware of what's going on?"

"No, that's why I stopped you. Why is everyone so riled up?" she asked.

"It's your brother... he's stolen the forbidden scroll."

Yuriko's eyes widened and her jaw fell open for a split second before she composed herself and asked, "You're sure?"

"Positive. The Hokage caught him, but he was able to distract him and get away," Cat replied, a hint of being impressed in her voice. Yuriko didn't call her out on that, knowing part of ANBU training was to hide ones emotions.

"There's something going on here, Cat. Naruto wouldn't just steal the Forbidden Scroll for no reason." Yuriko sighed. "Follow me, I know where he is. But let me handle him, please."

Cat was silent for a few moments, but nodded, and the two took off across the rooftops. Soon they had abandoned the rooftops for the trees, and it was only seconds until they came across Naruto, Iruka, and Mizuki. Iruka was struggling to stand, a large Fūma Shuriken in his back, and Naruto was looking between Mizuki and Iruka in horror. Yuriko went to jump to Naruto's side, when Cat grabbed her arm and shook her head.

"No, not yet."

"What? But it's obvious that Mizuki set Naruto up!" Yuriko muttered harshly.

"You're a jōnin, Yuriko. Think with your head right now, not with your emotions."

Yuriko sighed, realizing Cat had a point. At the same time she didn't care about that right now. What she cared about was Naruto's safety. As it turned out, Yuriko didn't have to wait long to act. Naruto grabbed the scroll next to him and took off into the trees, silent tears spilling over his cheeks while Mizuki laughed and proceeded to taunt Iruka.

With her teeth ground together in frustration, Yuriko grabbed a few kunai from her holster and tied a small sealed bag to the end. The bag was filled with special marbles, which were filled with explosive chemicals that amplified the power behind the explosive seals written on the marbles surface.

"You need to grab Iruka and get out of range. Help him with his injury. I'll deal with Mizuki and then head after Naruto," Yuriko commanded, slipping back into her former role of ANBU second in command.

If Cat had any issues with her orders she didn't say anything, instead she watched Yuriko drop a smoke bomb into the clearing. When it detonated a second after hitting the ground, Cat jumped down and headed to Iruka's side. He had already pulled the shuriken from his back, and when the smoke was cleared the only one in the clearing still was a coughing Mizuki.

"W-what the hell?" Mizuki muttered, looking around for Iruka.

Finding no trace of him, Mizuki simply shrugged and started out of the clearing (which for a Shinobi wasn't a terribly good course of action), only to be stopped by a kunai with a bag attached to it. The bag sparked and Mizuki barely had time to back away when it exploded. He'd avoided the center of the blast, but he'd been knocked back and was bleeding from multiple shrapnel wounds.

Groaning with his hand touching his bleeding head, Mizuki began getting back to his feet.

"What the hell was that?!" he shouted, observing the area for ninja. He assumed the Hokage had sent ninja out by now and he'd been found. He could hope whoever found Naruto hated the little demon as much as he did. "Who's there?!"

Yuriko shunshined into the clearing, with Cat appearing next to her in the next second. Mizuki looked at them and began laughing hysterically.

"You two? You don't expect to defeat me, do you?" Mizuki taunted, dismissing them for their gender.

Yuriko could almost expect it in concern to her. She might be a jōnin, but she didn't take many missions anymore. She hadn't for the last three and half years honestly. Her focus was mainly on Naruto's care. As such she knew most active ninja probably thought she had slacked off and become rusty. While she might not have been as powerful as Yuri, she wasn't a push over and she'd been training despite her lack of missions outside the village. As for him laughing at Cat... well she thought he probably had a death wish. Gender aside, the ANBU weren't chosen lightly.

Exchanging annoyed looks, Yuriko and Cat both attacked without speaking a word. Cat drew her sword from her back, while Yuriko withdrew one of her tessen. It was a fairly large fan for a tessen, dark navy in color with a phoenix and floral design. Yuriko struck first, releasing a powerful gust of wind which pushed Mizuki off his guard and left non-lethal cuts along his body.

His large shuriken fell slack and Cat's blade bit into his wrist. Mizuki yelled out, dropping his weapon. He never saw Yuriko's punch coming until it met his face, practically lifting him off the ground and plowing him halfway through a tree. He'd forgotten Yuriko trained in a similar style to Tsunade of the Sannin, incorporating her inhuman strength into her taijutsu.

His jaw was cracked if not broken, and he was practically embedded into a Mizuki sized impression in the trunk of the tree, his head lolling forward. Blood flowed from his busted nose, and from his wrist and forearm where Cat's sword had cut into him. This didn't account for the numerous small cuts which barely bleed littering his body from Yuriko tessen.

"Yeah, I think we can beat you," Yuriko said, cracking her knuckles.

"It's good to see you haven't gotten too rusty, Yuri-chan."

Yuriko and Cat both turned towards the familiar voice, and found a silver haired ninja with only one visible eye standing there with his hands tucked in his pockets. Iruka was leaning up against a tree next to him.

"Kakashi," Yuriko said, smiling. Then her smile fell, and she looked towards the deeper parts of the forest. Realizing her brother was still out there alone.

"Go," Kakashi said. "Find Naruto and make sure he's alright."

Yuriko nodded, and went to leave when Iruka's voice stopped her. "Yuri, wait! You should know, Mizuki broke the thirds law and told him about the Kyūbi."

Three pairs of eyes widened, and Yuriko began to fear the worse. Narrowing her eyes she glared back at the unconscious Mizuki, wishing she'd punched him a little harder. They hadn't planned to keep the secret from him forever, just until he was a genin.

"I'll see you at the Hokage's office with Naruto," she said, using the Shunshin to cover more ground quicker.

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Finding him wasn't hard. She'd memorized her brother's chakra signature thoroughly over the years. She found him about half a mile into the forest, clutching the scroll, breathing heavily, and crying silently.

Yuriko's eyes softened and threatened to fill with tears. This could have been avoided, and it only added to her (and Yuri's) guilt. She should have been there the night of the Kyūbi attack – she should have been the next vessel of the Kyūbi. Her parents might not have realized she knew but Yuriko did.

The council was placing pressure on her parents to transfer the Kyūbi from her mother into her, given she was a prodigy who'd inherited her mother's special chakra. Unlike her brother who had taken so much after their father in appearance, she took after her mother and it was obvious the Uzumaki blood was strong in her.

Unlike Mito-sama, who was on her death bed when the transfer happened, if done right and with medics on the scene, preferably Tsunade of the Sannin, the chances of her mother's death were significantly lower. Uzumaki's were known to live through certain death situations in the past. Her parents rebutted the councils attempts, not wanting to take the chance and soon after her mother found out she was pregnant.

Her parents had heard the elders and Thirds concerns that the seal might weaken too much with the second pregnancy, seeing as Kyūbi had almost escaped when she was born. They speculated the reason it appeared more stable during her birth, as opposed to after she'd been born, was because of Yuri's special chakra aiding Kushina's in taming the Kyūbi the night of her birth.

Naruto might not have that same effect, the elders feared, and they'd been right. The seal had been broken, her mother's struggle to hold the seal with her father's help was more perceptible. The elders had convinced them that should the worst happen, the Kyūbi would be sealed within Yuriko instead of back inside Kushina – which would have killed Kushina, even if she survived the extraction itself.

Her parents never knew she had over heard these conversations. Even back then her stealth was unlike most chūnin, and her chakra control only became more impressive (for an Uzumaki) as she grew. By now she could completely erase her chakra signature by pulling her chakra tightly inside herself. Yuriko hadn't been at ground zero that night, she was with the Uchiha clan after outwitting her ANBU babysitters again. She'd sat on the porch with Itachi and baby Sasuke, and watched in horror as the Kyūbi attacked the village.

Itachi had convinced her not to leave to find her parents. He'd been right to, at five she'd never have survived the attack if she'd been in the thick of it. Instead she got the news hours later that her parents were dead, and her baby brother was the new jinchūriki.

She'd never forgiven herself for not following her gut and finding her parents. If she had Naruto might have been treated better by their village. Instead she could only do what she could – _and look how that turned out,_ a nasty voice in her head sneered, _You were left here while the real Yuri, his_ ** _real_** _big sister, is off gallivanting across the nations being a wanted criminal._

Yuriko's eyes widened, regretting her own subconscious words. She might not be a real person, having not been born like others. She might have been created by Yuri to protect and raise her brother, _ **their**_ brother, but she still had some free will. She could feel emotions, and she understood better than anyone why Yuri had done what she had. She had every memory prior to the Uchiha Massacre that Yuri possessed.

She knew how much Yuri loved her brother, but she knew how much she loved Itachi as well – even if her creator didn't realize it at the time. It didn't excuse her actions, she'd acted selfishly and like a fool (she'd acted like a thirteen year old instead of the old soul they truly were). But she was created to protect Naruto, not to point out the flaws in Yuri's plan.

And even if she did, by the time she was created the Sandaime had turned her foolish plans into an actual infiltration mission (at that point Yuri couldn't have changed her mind if she'd wanted to). In the end Yuriko got the better end of the bargain. She got to stay in Konoha, doing only minimal missions while training and raising Naruto. She was the one who got to make new memories with ** _their_** little brother, while Yuri had none after the Uchiha Massacre.

The only time she'd receive those memories would be after Yuriko ceased to exist. Even then it would be the most memorable, the most recent memories that would return to her. It was a built in fail-safe, since years of memories, no matter how minor, returning all at once could place Yuri in a coma. She'd never get the time she'd lost back, not completely.

"Naruto," she said, jumping down from a tree branch. Naruto looked up in surprise, but instead of happiness to see her he narrowed his eyes and tried to move back into the tree even more – as if he was afraid she was going to hurt him. "Otouto, what's wrong?"

"Don't call me that! You lied to me, Mizuki told me the truth. I'm the Kyūbi. That's why everyone hates me, and why you took me in; so you could better control me!"

Yuriko stopped her slow approach, frozen stiff at her brother's words. Unadulterated rage flooded her being, but she pushed it back so Naruto didn't think it was directed at him. Her heart strings were tugged tight, threatening to break. She realized then that things had gone further than she'd thought, Mizuki had said more than Iruka had told.

"That's not true!" she cried firmly. "Mizuki is full of shit! Naruto, you're not the Kyūbi and I am your sister."

Naruto looked unsure, staring into the verdant tearful eyes of his sister. His bottom lips quivered, unsure if he should believe Mizuki's words anymore – he had lied about the make-up test. He'd used him to get to the scroll… His eyes narrowed and his grip tightened around the scroll.

"If that's true… how do I even know you're Yuri? You could be a clone disguised as Yuri. Mizuki even," he said, and Yuriko's eyes widened. Her heart stopped for a few beats. He couldn't know that, no one but the Hokage did! Yet it hurt to know how close to the truth he was.

"It's me, Naru-chan," she said, using the nickname she knew always annoyed the little blond. "I remember when mama was pregnant with you, she'd smile every time someone brought you up in conversation. Always running around the house to prepare for your arrival. Papa would get just as proud, bragging that he was going to be a father again to anyone he trusted enough to listen. I helped decorate you nursery, and I helped pick out your name. I was there after you were born, I would sing you to sleep when you'd wake up crying those first months in the orphanage. I refused to be separated from you, and I fought to raise you myself despite my age. You're my baby brother, not a fox. I think I would have notice raising a nine-tailed fox the size of the Hokage Monument."

Naruto sniffled, wiping his face and eyes on his sleeve. His grip loosened around the scroll, and he stood up. "Big sister… I'm sorry! I got mom and dad killed..."

Before he could say another word he found himself engulfed in a warm hug. Yuriko had fallen to her knees in front of him, her hair the only feature he could make out before he was pulled into her arms. She was rubbing his back soothingly and he had to fight not to break down again.

"Listen to me, Naruto. No matter what anyone tells you, you are not the Kyūbi and you did not kill anyone. Mom and dad, and the other ninja who fought and died that night, did so to protect their families and this village. They knew what they were running into, because that is the life of a ninja. We endure, because no one else can do it for us." Yuriko pulled back, looking into the tearful blue eyes of her brother. "I'm the one who should be sorry. If I had been home that night with the ANBU Papa had watch me, instead of running off to see my friends… you wouldn't have had to live with this burden. I was supposed to be the next jailer of the Kyūbi, not you."

Naruto's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

Yuriko sighed. "Exactly what I said. You're what is known as a jinchūriki, but you're not the first in Konoha. The first jinchūriki was Great-Aunt Mito, and after her it was our mother, Kushina. The Kyūbi can only be held by an Uzumaki. Before you were born there were precautions set to keep the Kyūbi from breaking free during your birth, like it had almost done when I was born. In the case that it did break free, I was supposed to take the burden because like mom I have the same special chakra, even more potent than her own. So you see, it's my fault..."

Naruto straightened up suddenly, and with a determined look she recognized seeing on their father, he said, "No, it not your fault, Yuri-neechan. Besides I don't want you to have to carry the Kyūbi, I'd rather it be me. Like you said, being a ninja means to endure, and if it protected you from the villages scorn and being a jinchūriki, then I'm happy to be the Kyūbi's jailer, Dattebayo!"

Yuriko's eyes widened for a split second, but soon she felt pride swell in her chest. She was so proud of her brother at that moment, and she knew more than ever, that he was ready to be a ninja.

"Well said, Naruto," a familiar lazy voice said.

They both looked over and saw Kakashi and Iruka walking out from the trees. Iruka was walking lightly, mindful of his half-healed wound. Standing up straight she ruffled Naruto's hair, before walking over to Iruka and finishing the healing Cat had started. For someone who didn't know a lot of medical ninjutsu, Cat had done a fine job healing what she could.

"Inu-nii, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed, his seriousness melting away to be replaced by his usual vulpine grin. Looking at Iruka though his smile fell a bit, guilt eating at him. "Iruka, are you going to be alright? You took a pretty bad hit for me."

"I'm gonna be fine, Naruto. Yuriko-hime is a great healer, I feel better than ever," Iruka said, though he knew he'd have to take it easy for a few days less he rip the scar tissue back open. "I'm proud of you Naruto. You protected the scroll admirably, and you were even able to steal – I'm sorry, barrow – one of the most well guarded artifacts in the village."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and tilted his head. "Well guarded? It didn't seem that way, I even took out the Hokage with my Oiroke no Jutsu (Sexy Technique)."

"Eh, well… good work. You're on your way to being Hokage one day after all," Iruka said, a little unsure how to take the fact the Hokage had fallen for such a perverted move. Kakashi was even startled, giving a deadpanned expression, but also wondering how exactly this 'sexy technique' worked that it had taken out the Hokage.

Yuriko was caught between disapproval of the technique, and pride at such a successful use of stealth and a well placed prank. She chose to just sigh and smile.

"You're too much like your sister, Naruto. She was able to sneak into places she shouldn't when she was an annoying brat too. She's taught you well," Kakashi said.

Yuriko huffed, hitting Kakashi on the shoulder before crossing her arms over her chest; she was not an annoying brat. If anything Kakashi was the annoying brat. Which was why Obito was her favorite member of Team Minato, and maybe because she could manipulate Obito into helping her, Itachi, and Shisui with a prank. Kakashi was practically allergic to fun back then.

Naruto smiled but something occurred to him, and he frowned deeply. "But… I didn't pass. The only reason I did this was because Mizuki told me if I stole the scroll and learned a jutsu from it, I could pass and make my parents and Yuriko proud." He laughed, rubbing the back of his head, but it came off more bitter than he'd intended. "I guess I messed up, huh?"

The three ninja looked at each other and Iruka took off his headband, handing it to Yuriko who walked over to her brother.

"I think even the Hokage would agree that you've earned this, _genin_ ," Yuriko said, stressing the word 'genin' with pride and tying the headband around his head. He looked at his sister with wide eyes, disbelieving but joyful that he'd passed. Laughing, Naruto jumped and wrapped his limbs around his sister in a bear hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he repeated, before releasing her and running off to hug both Iruka and Kakashi.

"I'm finally a ninja, believe it!"

The three older ninja watched as Naruto jumped around for joy, and laughed fondly at his antics. They didn't stop him, his future would be full of hard choices, for now they'd let him have this moment. There wouldn't be many such carefree moments where his path would lead.

Yuriko was more than happy to see her brother still had that childish spark about him. She was a prodigy herself, like Kakashi and Itachi she'd graduated early. Been rushed to chūnin and into ANBU. She'd killed for the first time when she was only four (when the Third War was still happening), and she'd put aside her own childhood after their parents died to raise Naruto. Yuriko would never regret it, but the entire reason she'd been against him graduating early was so he could have the childhood she'd never fully enjoyed even in this lifetime.

She was beginning to realize though, that maybe it was time the real Yuriko came home. It had almost been five years since she'd left, and she feared how Naruto would take their deception should he find out from anyone but Yuri herself. Their brother was the most forgiving person in the world, but she knew if this went on much longer when he did find out it would break this heart.

It had already broken Yuri's.


End file.
